In our efforts to launch new programs at the synagogue level something is often missing: a comprehensive and aligned organizational mission and vision.

by Rabbi Jim Rogozen

In my new position at United Synagogue I have been learning about many innovative programs designed to make the experience of “religious school” more exciting and engaging. There are some very creative and bold people in the field, and I am inspired by their energy and commitment.

The lament/demand that “synagogue education must change!” is an ongoing phenomenon. So too is the reality that many initiatives and innovations fizzle, or fail outright. Some of these failures are due to the difficulty of sustaining innovation; some of them simply run out of funding. The call for yet another round of new programs has gone out, and Jewish publishers and organizations are answering that call. It seems to me, however, that in our efforts to launch new programs at the synagogue level something is often missing: a comprehensive and aligned organizational mission and vision.

The realities of synagogue life these days dictate a fast-tracked decision making process. It is very tempting, therefore, to latch onto the latest program or innovation and believe that the “new model” will transform student learning, if not the congregation as a whole. While there is pressure to “change” and “break the mold” there needs to be equal importance given to mission and vision. As the Japanese proverb states: “Vision without action is a daydream; action without vision is a nightmare.”

As we read in the Lecha Dodi prayer on Friday night: Sof ma’aseh b’mach’shava t’chila – The right action depends on the correct (up front) thinking and planning.

Whether it’s a new blended learning platform, the desire to bring “camp” to religious school, or ways to involve parents, I believe that synagogue leaders need to take a step back and look at their education program within the larger organizational context of the kehilla before making changes. If this part of the planning process is ignored, the innovations being considered may never bear fruit.

One way to get started on the path toward successful educational transformation is to take the following “institutional readiness” questionnaire:

One, is our education program embedded in our congregation’s overall mission and vision? What is our kehilla all about? What do we care about? What are we trying to accomplish by being here? How do children and family journeys fit in here? What do children need to know, and what should they be able to do, in order to be part of this kehilla as they grow up?

Two, is our congregation’s mission and vision expressed in a strategic plan, and, just as important, a financial strategic plan? What are our goals? Are they realistic? Are they measureable? How will we go about accomplishing those goals? Does the budget for each department in the congregation reflect the mission, vision and strategic goals of our kehilla?

[Note: Conservative congregations who want to learn more about the first two topics can take part in USCJ’s highly successful Sulam programs.]

Three, are our programming, governance, planning and culture “aligned”? Does everything that happens in our shul serve our core documents and commitments? Does every key player have our vision in front of them and know how their area of function connects to that big picture? Are we able to say “no” to program ideas and expenditures that don’t fit into our plan? Are job descriptions (and evaluations) connected in measurable ways to our mission, vision, and goals?

Four, is our synagogue culture able to sustain change, experimentation, failure, reflective reappraisal? Can we have productive dialogues about what is and isn’t working? Are we able to measure our inputs and outcomes objectively? Is our budget supportive of educators who want to learn about and try new things? Do we communicate with, and involve, all of our stakeholders on a regular basis? Does the education program have investors/advocates/champions on the synagogue board, and among the clergy?

Five, do we see education as a transformative, future-oriented, core element in our kehilla? Does our budget encourage excellence in our education program? Is our curriculum connected to ongoing congregational life? Do children and teens feel “needed” by our kehilla (now and in the future)? Do children see adults engaged in Jewish learning?

The creative, disruptive innovators among us are busy cultivating new seeds for Jewish education. If they don’t have good soil in which to plant these seeds, we will see another crop of educational programs wither, further challenging the vitality and viability of our congregations. But if our kehillot embrace, and apply, the best practices of the nonprofit organizational world to their congregations, Jewish education will not only be successful; it will transform the Jewish community.

Reader Interactions

Comments

Jim,
I really appreciate you raising the issue of education within a larger system.
It has always boggled my mind that some Executive Committees and clergy see the experience of children and families as separate from their own agendas. The door for families will either be a revolving door or a threshold to deep engagement and that dramatically impacts the financial and communal life of the congregation. Why do you think more congregations don’t see the “whole”?

In many congregations I see that the “new programs” for children and families has enabled the larger congregation to safely experiment with things like: Judaism in multiple spaces; relationships at the center; content that speaks to real life/not just the calendar; and emphasis on choice. My gut tells me these are some of the characteristics of tomorrow’s synagogue..tomorrow’s synagogue mission and vision needs to emerge defined by these characteristics. Educational experiments are helping congregation see what’s possible. Guided by your work and the insight of others we can hope the whole will be considered holy.

Dear Jim,
You raise so many interesting points. I have been one of those “creative, disruptive innovators” who unfortunately tried to plant seeds in infertile soil. One of the issues that I believe clergy and leaders in Conservative synagogues need to address is the strong conviction that many have that the only worthwhile Jewish education is that found in day schools; the congregational school is tolerated as a “second class option”. Until the congregational school experience is seen as valuable in its own right, it is difficult to build support for it, and to see it as an integral part of congregational vitality.

Jim,
Thanks for your thoughtful piece. Every Jewish educator has a closet somewhere piled high with the educational materials we disregarded to make room for the “latest” thing. At NewCAJE we heard an important debate on what are the essential elements of Jewish education (see the recent article here by David Steiner).
I am an advocate for Jewish education being the very best it can be, but at the same time I see that less time and money are being devoted to it than ever. Can less be better? I see literacy being moved aside which is surprising in a culture like ours that has always highly valued literacy. I see less teaching of the Bible text in our schools than any other subject–that is teaching text, not teaching about text. Who are we if not the people of the book?
I think we need to ask the question–what does a Jewish adult need to know and fashion our curriculum for both children and adults in our communities around that answer.
Jewish education should reflect a living Judaism and a vibrant Jewish life but it should also prepare people to be able to participate in such a life. Both book learning and experiential education are necessary components of such a preparation.
Let’s not dismantle our schools without asking thoughtful questions and without assigning time and resources to the endeavor.

Cyd and Melanie point to what should be part of every congregation’s mission/vision: that education is not only aimed at the future; it is an integral part of a congregation’s life. If it’s just seen as a “membership driver” and must constantly be changed for “marketing” purposes, then it’s a tool, not a core value.

I’d like to add something to Cherie’s curriculum question (what does a Jewish adult need to know?): what do children need to learn in order to be part of and, down the road, sustain the community (kehilla) in which s/he is growing up?

When we talk about attuning the children’s learning to the larger picture of the adults in the setting, I expect to see something about the importance of the teachers’ own learning. This is also an aspect of what Cherie is writing about. We cannot teach rich, juicy, worthwhile content without teachers who, themselves, spend time learning it, as well as learning many ways of teaching. Curriculum efforts (like our new Etgar Yesodi curriculum) must include professional development for teachers. Congregations and other groups that want to promote exciting learning need to be budgeting both money and time for this kind of learning, and not treat it as “the teacher’s problem.” Investing in the teachers is the way to make a difference with the younger learners.

Feh. After three decades of it all, I’m missioned and visioned out. Enough already. Time to throw spaghetti at the wall. Time to try things that aren’t built on consensus and might actually p*ss some people off. Time to allow failure. I’m tired of waiting for the clergy and the boards to provide the fertile soil. If we can plant in their garden, we just have to start planting our seeds somewhere else. (PS – I’m a gadfly by nature. Don;t assume I actually mean what I said. Or do I?)

This is a very interesting discussion. The question of “what do students need to know” comes up often. After 30+ years in the field, I’m certain that there is more than one answer to this question. I posed this question to a group of sixth grade students, in the late spring when apathy is high and interest in baseball is even higher. “We need to know about the holidays so we can do them with our families and we need to know enough Hebrew to get through our Bar Mitzvahs.” To an extent, this student was right on target. That was what he needed to know to carry on his family’s Jewish traditions. Everything else is extra, perhaps necessary at some future time, but not now.

I refer to two types of Jewish learning – “just in time” learning and “just in case” learning. “Just in case” learning has been what we have been doing and, to a certain extent, are still doing. We look at Jewish learning as something we must do an incredible amount of between third and seventh grade, “while we have them,” just in case they need this information in the future. We know that they will need the information, but it doesn’t seem relevant to their lives at this time. Often, it isn’t relevant at the time the material is being taught. The learning gets lost and isn’t available when “just in case” arrives.

I think we need to focus more on “just in time” learning. As students are ready, developmentally and by interest, we help them learn things that are appropriate and relevant. Will we teach the entire body of Jewish knowledge to each child? No. This is not possible – how many of us have acquired all there is to know about Judaism and Jewish life? We only set ourselves up for failure if we try. We need to hone our curricula based on our learners’ needs. We also need to take advantage of those moments when we can help our learners see the bigger picture that can lead to a life-time of learning and engagement. Well trained teachers are the key. In many congregations with financial struggles, teacher training is one of the first things to be cut. Nonetheless, true dugma’ot, role models, are needed in every community – joyous, embracing, knowledgeable, and non-judgmental.

We need a plan. We need a vision. And we need to get moving. Moses received Torah at Sinai – and clearly – the people were not ready. Everyone had not bought in. If that had been the case, the whole golden calf episode would not have happened. Would it have been easier if the “ground had been prepared properly?” Maybe. But the people opened their minds and their hearts and said, “Na’aseh v’nishma,” we will do and we will understand. I think our kids deserve the same opportunity to experience, explore, and experiment, and with that will come the understanding we hope they will find. Ready or not, here they come!

The progressive, constructivist educator in me becomes concerned when our conversations about curriculum focus on “What do they need to know?”; to me, this brings out the image of our pouring material into an empty beaker. I believe that we need, first of all, to utilize the insights of Understanding by Design and try to articulate the enduring understandings that we would like our students to have about Judaism so that they come to see themselves as part of the legacy of the Jewish people and not as bystanders or outsiders looking in. These understandings should be able to be stated simply, and should form the foundation at every level of the curriculum: examples might be “To be Jewish is to be a member of a family that goes back thousands of years and extends around the world”; “Judaism helps us to create experiences in our lives that make us more aware of the wonder of being alive”; “Jewish teachings help us become more sensitive to the needs of others and work for justice in the world”. If learning is about making connections and not just accumulating facts, we need to find ways to engage our students actively with these enduring understandings, encourage them to ask essential questions, and support them in their explorations of the facets of Judaism that speak most directly to them.

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